KH: The Power of Friendship
by brawlingwolf
Summary: An intense battle at his childhood home has left Riku exhausted and desperate to reach the light within Sora's heart, but Sora isn't so willing to comply and only wants to prove just how ridiculous Riku's beliefs truly are- and will stop at nothing to accomplish that goal. Short one-shot, Post- Dream Drop Distance [spoilers], 'Norted Sora.


Even the skies streaked with the colors of sunset were not enough to calm Riku's hammering heart and harsh breathing as he hunched over in the sands of Destiny Islands. Rather than making him think of the endless possibilities as vast as the ocean and innumerable as the stars, he only noticed out of the corner of his eye the reds in the sky that reminded him of blood, the amount of it that would be spilled if he failed. He forced himself to stand back up and readied the Way to the Dawn once more as his opponent stretched out his hand toward the new Keyblade Master. But as the shadows lengthened in the fading light and exhaustion began to overtake him, Riku lowered his Keyblade and allowed it to disappear.

Sora's brow rose and his golden eyes stared at Riku with some mix of curiosity and malice, mostly made up of the latter. The black coat he wore was dirty with sand and sweat. The two only gazed at each other, and Riku tried not to wince at the look in the brunet boy's eyes. The color they now were unsettled him. He was so used to seeing the sparkling blue like the ocean water on a cloudless day when the sun was high in the sky, warm, inviting, and forgiving. Now they were cold, dark, and hostile. Even after their clash, it still didn't click in Riku's head. It didn't make sense. Strangely, he had to remind himself that Sora's heart was not only light, and the fact that he had believed that for so long was a large contribution to the predicament he was in now.

"Give up?" Sora taunted, his voice strong despite their fight. "How disappointing." It was a puzzle for Riku to figure out which parts of the boy in front of him were Sora, and which were Xehanort. Because as much as he could wish and hope it was purely Xehanort, he knew he had to find Sora within. Even if it meant embracing his darkness.

"No," Riku replied in a voice far more gentle than what matched his mood. "I'm not giving up on you, Sora. I know you're in there." He and Kairi had figured that out well enough after Sora appeared out of nowhere with no other goal than to confuse and disturb them, and he made that clear when he had very pointedly kissed her before vanishing into darkness.

Sora frowned and his outstretched hand did not budge, but Riku took a step closer to him. The Keyblade Master took a deep breath and neither said anything for several moments. With each passing heartbeat, Sora's patience ran thinner, until he outright sighed heavily and arched an eyebrow at Riku.

"Say whatever you want, Riku," he said. "Sooner or later you're going to have to get over yourself and realize who it is you're dealing with. I AM Sora. End of story."

"I know that," Riku nodded, earning a stare. "That's why I'm not giving up. I KNOW you're in there, Sora. And I know that, to an extent, this is you." He lowered his head. "I know that the darkness inside you… I've made it grow. I've hurt you, made you angry, jealous…"

"Oh, please," Sora scoffed. "Look who's all full of himself. You think you matter that much?" He rolled his eyes. Riku frowned and thought over his options.

"Do you remember that time that girl came to the island when we were little? And she told you that if something happened to me, if I ended up on a dark path… You would always be there to bring me back to the light." Sora snorted softly and smirked. "I'm gonna do the same, Sora. I'll bring you back. There's still light in you. I know it. And I'll fight for it." He looked up and smiled, albeit it being a weak smile. "You always said your friends are your power. You're my best friend, and you always have been ever since we were kids. So I'll be your strength, just like you're mine. I know our friendship is stronger than any darkness!"

A rather uncomfortable silence passed between them, and it broke when Sora let out a harsh laugh that startled Riku.

"Are you done?" the brunet boy inquired. "Can I throw up now? PLEASE tell me you don't believe all that garbage!" Riku grunted and grit his teeth. "Friendship? You think that's the key to strength? To power? It's worthless!" He pulled back his hand as a dark aura erupted around it. "You're right about one thing, Riku. Darkness has been growing in my heart. It's been getting stronger. And now that strength is tied to my own. Darkness is the real source of power!"

"Sora…"

"Don't 'Sora' me," he snapped. "You know what friendship brings, Riku? Pain. Watching people you cared about get hurt or leave you in the dust, it only brings agony. And you know what that brings? Darkness! So why should I care about you? About Kairi? About anybody? I'm done getting beaten down and risking my life for others for no reason. Now that I have real power…" His smirk grew into a dark smile. "I have no use for you or anyone else."

"You don't really believe that!" Much as he may have wished otherwise, desperation began to creep into Riku's voice. "Your ties to your friends are what have kept you going for so long. Everything you've done… It's been for us! Friendship is light. It's strength. It's what makes life worth living!"

"Oh, really?" Sora shook his head. "If I remember right, it's because of your 'friends' that you ended up jumping headfirst into darkness."

"That was different," Riku replied, tensing. "I did it to protect Kairi. And you."

"You did it to FIGHT me!" Sora laughed. "You understood then. Darkness is the only way to power. To get what you want. But… Then you had to throw it all away for your precious light. For your friendship." The nearly maniacal look on Sora's face made Riku's skin crawl. "You know what? Let me show you something." He vanished into darkness only to reappear on the tiny islet where the Paopu Tree grew, and he summoned his Keyblade as Riku forced his exhausted limbs to hurry him over. "Let me show you just how weak your ties are!" Flames appeared around the teeth of his Keyblade, and he raised it toward the Paopu Tree.

"Sora!" Riku gasped. "NO!" But the flames shot forth, igniting the Paopu Tree's branches and the fruit it bore. Riku stumbled to a halt as his sick heart dropped, his blank eyes wide and staring as the flames spread, quickly burning the tree to ash.

"You see that, Riku?" Sora's voice barely registered with him. "Do you really think some fruit can change destiny? That carrying around a good luck charm can bind people together? You're pathetic." The next thing he knew, Sora was at his side and a blast of darkness knocked him down to the sand. He tried to force himself back up, but the impact along with their battle left him barely strong enough to stay conscious. Sora knelt down at his side and he let out a sharp sound of pain as the brunet boy grabbed at his scalp and pulled his head up, forcing him to look at the smoldering Paopu Tree. "You had a chance to be on the winning side," the boy went on. "Remember that. You're the one that threw it away. But…" He smiled. "I suppose I should thank you for giving me your place. When you're crying out with your last breath at the agony of losing everyone you love, I'll be the one standing over you and making sure you suffer." He shoved Riku back to the sand and stood back up. "But… I'll survive. And after all, that's all you've really wanted, isn't it?"

"S-Sora…" Riku managed to say as he watched Sora turn away and disappear into a Dark Corridor. And as he vanished from view, so did everything else, swallowed up in a sea of blackness.


End file.
